In the paper industry, as well as in other industries, cutting apparatus are used for cutting logs of material. Particularly in the paper industry, cutting apparatus are used for cutting relatively long logs wound with paper, into small rolls of paper to thereby define consumer-usable rolls of toilet tissue, paper towels, or the like. One type of conventional cutting apparatus includes a rotating disc-shaped blade having a sharp cutting surface defining the perimeter of the blade. Contact of the material (e.g., logs) with the rotating sharp perimeter surface is effective to transversely cut the material. Another type of conventional cutting apparatus includes a generally rectangular, infinite length blade that moves axially i.e., in a direction along the axis of the blade. In apparatus of this latter type, the blade has one or two sharp edges, such that contact of the material with the axially-moving edge(s) is effective to transversely cut the material.
Conventional apparatus of the type described above require the respective edge(s) of the blade to be maintained in a sharp condition, capable of guaranteeing consistent, high-quality cuts. To that end, a honing device is typically placed in proximity with the edge(s) to enable periodic sharpening of the edge(s). The honing device may be mounted for periodic engagement with the edge(s), with the engagement being done manually or automatically—in response to a signal received from a sensor monitoring the condition of the blade edge(s). To that end, known honing units are mounted on an air cylinder-piston assembly, such that actuation of the air cylinder is effective to advance the sharpening surface of the honing device toward engagement with the blade edge(s) to be sharpened. Other known honing devices are mounted on a motorized leadscrew carriage such that, upon actuation of the motor, rotational output motion of the motor causes linear motion of the carriage which, in turn, causes the sharpening surface of the honing device to advance toward engagement with the blade edge(s) to be sharpened. Yet other known honing devices have complex spring-based systems that also intermittently cause engagement of the honing device with the blade edge(s) to be sharpened.
A problem with known sharpening devices of the type described above lies in the complexity of their operation, as well as in the susceptibility to breaking of the moving components of those units. Yet another problem lies in the intermittency of the engagement of the sharpening surface(s) of the honing device with the blade edge(s) to be sharpened. It is believed that this intermittency exerts high stresses on the blade edge(s) being sharpened, which results in a reduction of the useful life of the blade.
It would be desirable, therefore, to provide honing devices, and cutting apparatus incorporating same, that address these and other shortcoming of the types described above.